What to write · Sympathy
What to write in a sympathy card for a coworker
Find the right sympathy card message for a coworker, from a simple ‘I’m so sorry’ to an offer to cover their shifts, and we’ll mail it to their home as a real printed card, postage included.
Messages you can use
Copy one as it is, or change a few words so it sounds like you.
Your calendar is clear and your inbox is covered. Whatever you need to do right now, do it. We will be here when you are back.
I heard about your loss and wanted to write instead of stopping by your desk. I am so sorry. The whole floor is with you.
I keep thinking of you at lunch, telling us about your grandmother’s card games. She sounded like a character. I’m sorry she’s gone.
I was heartbroken to hear about your mom. I still remember the banana bread she brought to your desk once, and how proud of her you were.
Nothing I write will fix this, so I won’t try. I’m just sorry, and I’m thinking about you and your family.
Thinking of you. Your seat at the team table is just as you left it.
I lost someone close to me once, and the cards that arrived at the house meant more than I expected. So here is mine. I am so sorry about your sister.
I didn’t know your brother well, but I know how much he meant to you. I’m sorry. If you want to talk about him, or about anything else, I’m around.
When you are back, I would be glad to sit with you at lunch and not talk about work. Until then, I am thinking of you and your wife and kids.
I’m so sorry about your dad. Everyone here is thinking about you and your family this week.
Sending you my sympathy and some quiet. Take all the time you need.
So sorry about your sister. Take care of yourself, and we’ll take care of the rest here.
I’m sorry for your loss. No need to answer this. I just wanted you to know I care.
Please accept our sympathy on the loss of your husband. The team is covering your work, so nothing is waiting for you. Come back when you are ready.
Take whatever time you need. If anything at the office needs handling quietly, tell me and I will take care of it.
On behalf of everyone in the department, we are sorry for your loss. Nobody expects a reply, and nobody expects you back before you are ready.
Our team was saddened to learn of the passing of your aunt. Please know our thoughts are with you and those closest to you.
Praying for you and your family as you say goodbye to your mother. May you feel God’s comfort around you.
Ways to sign off
With sympathy, · Thinking of you, · From all of us on the team, · Warmly, · With our sympathy,
How to write it
Work friends rarely know what to say, so keep a sympathy card message for a coworker short: say sorry, say you care, and say the desk is covered. You may know this person from the hallway and the shared calendar rather than from their home. That is enough. They want to know someone noticed, and that people at work are thinking of them while they are away. Nobody expects a eulogy from a coworker, and a few plain lines carry more than you would guess.
The simplest note names the loss, says you are sorry, and offers one small, real thing: covering a shift, keeping their desk as it is, or saying nothing at all when they come back. Mailed to their home, it waits quietly instead of landing in a busy office. We print your note in a handwriting-style font and mail it, from $2 with postage.
- Use their name and the name of the person they lost, if you know it. Specific beats general, even when you did not know the person.
- Say plainly that you are sorry. Skip anything that explains the loss or tells them how to feel about it.
- Offer something concrete you can really do at work, like taking a project off their plate, and say it once without pressure.
- If you are signing for the whole team, write "we" and let each person add a line if they can.
- Mail it to their home address. They can read it in private and no one has to watch them open it.
Designs that fit
Pick a design, paste your message, and we print it in a handwriting-style font and mail it. Cards from $2 with postage; letters from $3.
Questions people ask
Should I sign a sympathy card for a coworker from the whole team?
Yes, if you can. Write one short message, then add each name or pass it around before you order. Your list can hold up to 400 addresses, so one card can also go to several coworkers at home.
Where should I send it, to the office or their home?
Home is usually kinder, since they may not be at work for a while. Your card prints on the back in a handwriting-style font, with the address and postage printed for you. It usually arrives within 8 business days of mailing.
More guides
- What to write in a sympathy card for a friend
- What to write when someone has lost their mother
- What to write when someone has lost their father
- What to write when someone has lost a husband or wife
- What to write in a pet sympathy card
- What to write in a sympathy card for your boss
- What to write in a sympathy card for a neighbor
- What to write when someone has lost a grandparent
Found the words? We will mail them.
Choose a card or a letter, add the address, and see a preview before you pay.